The first question I have for Dave Pearlman is if he could explain a bit of what makes the Church mic (original or his take) so sought after.

Bear

I want to know too. Great minds think alike.

interesting question. The Original MGM Church is really a great sounding microphone based on a 6072 tube. The capsule used was a Neumann M7 on the first run and later the K47 (from what I understand). The 6072 is the tube in the C-12 and is a great sounding tube in the same family as the 12ax7, 12ay7, 12au7, 12at7. These are some of the most ubiquitous tubes on the planet. I guess that ol' Stanley wanted to make a mic with a tube that was easier to find than the VF14 from the U47. High quality capsule, high quality tube and high quality transformer; how can you miss? Did I answer the question??

Do I understand correctly that the originals were scratch builds using just the Neumann capsule? Or was there more that was borrowed?

What about the transformer? I know that the original Neumann transformer is prized by many, and there are many recreations. Stanley went with American parts there, though, correct? Would it be apples to apples to compare given the different amplifier circuit?

Bear